Viking Children’s Teeth Were Used for Power and Luck

Posted October 12, 2015.

The mythical legend of the Tooth Fairy is a delightful belief of many modern families. Young kids eagerly anticipate losing that wiggly tooth and receiving their first gift or money from this charming, magical fairy under the cloak of night.

Adults fondly remember losing their first loose tooth and the Tooth Fairy’s fiscal role in the childhood fantasy of their youth. So naturally, they pass on the mystery and charm to their own young children. But this warm and fuzzy feeling of a fairy floating into your room to leave you presents has not always been the case with this rite of passage of losing your baby teeth (or as some people used to call them, “milk teeth”).

Witches and demons were a big part of the Viking belief system, as well as the belief that children’s purity could be used to fend off evil beings. Vikings would pay their children a “tooth fee” for each lost tooth and then string them on a necklace or some other type of adornment to ward off dark forces while wearing them into battle. Children’s teeth, the Viking warrior believed, could be used for power and luck.

Nowadays, we parents prefer to send our children off to bed with those warm, fuzzy feelings of the whimsical fairy bringing them a little gift; otherwise, our children might not let those wiggly little teeth out of their mouths! Anything to help kids start maintaining good oral hygiene!

Have you brought your little one into our office for a visit? We’re here to take good care of your family. Please call 307-362-2220 to schedule an appointment.